A520.3.1.RB_MaceRoyce
In your blog, reflect upon the following questions:
1) What are a few words that describe your decision-making style?
The teaching of decision-making should focus on the evaluation of alternative, an important problem-solving task in its own right. Evaluation is a complex judgmental process in which an alternative's positive and negative aspects are weighted and combined into an overall assessment of its goodness (Smith, 2003).
There are a few ways to describe my decision-making style: subjective, all-encompassing, critical (thinking) and "pro" focused. As a decision maker, I prefer to form an opinion and a subsequent decision based on my own assessment of the decision to be made. Not all decisions should be made based on facts that are possibly false or misleading. For example, if a salesman says that the sales price of the car that he is selling you is a good one, should you trust him? After all, he is the salesman and the car expert.
I say "all-encompassing" because there are many decisions that involve so much more than just one aspect involving a particular decision. The way that your decision may impact others is something that we must definitely consider. For example, when a child goes out and vandalizes a small business, they make the decision based on how much fun they think they are going to have yet do not think about how the decision to do this will affect the small business owner or their own future.
I say critical thinking because it allows me to constantly evaluate and then re-evaluate my decision-making processes. Without improving as human beings in all aspects (particularly decision-making) we are doomed to make poor decisions over and over again. For example, when any one of us makes a poor decision, we learn from it and strive to make a better one next time. We all make poor choices at one time or another, but we must evaluate our decision-making processes and learn to get better at decision-making through critical thinking techniques.
Lastly, I have a "pro" focused approach to decision making. I try to see the good in all decisions that I make and try to leave emotions out of it. For example, I may want to spend money that I earn each month on something that makes me happy in that specific moment. This may be a small "pro" in the moment, but ultimately a "con" in terms of my long-term goals to take care of my family and retirement as a whole. I look at the best possible "pro" that will ultimately serve a higher purpose in the end.
2) What are the opposites of the words you chose?
Objective, singularly focused, non-critical thinking, and con. These terms are all self-explanatory in reference to the aforementioned terms.
3) Could you see any benefits to making decision using an approach that is based on either the opposites or somewhere in-between and what outcomes would you expect to see?
There are benefits to employing the opposite approach to the ones that I have chosen to best describe my decision-making style. Ultimately, it is realizing that the decision-making styles that are opposite of the ones that I have chosen must be employed in the correct situation. There may be times that decision-making needs to be objective. Facts can be very helpful in making decisions, but they have to be vetted first. This is where balance is met in weighing both subjective and objective thinking.
I have seen the balancing all of these decision-making processes firsthand as I have had ample time as an adult and military professional to use them. I have made many decisions over the course of 31 years and think that the first three decision-making styles have served me well. In retrospect, this blog has helped me realize how much the opposite styles that I mentioned in the second question help me to form more balanced and thorough decisions as a whole. I believe this self-reflection to be an opportunity for improvement and expect my decision-making abilities to grow even more.
References
Smith, G. F. (2003). Beyond critical thinking and decision making: Teaching business students how
to think. Journal of Management Education, February - 2003, 42. doi:
10.1177/1052562902239247
1) What are a few words that describe your decision-making style?
The teaching of decision-making should focus on the evaluation of alternative, an important problem-solving task in its own right. Evaluation is a complex judgmental process in which an alternative's positive and negative aspects are weighted and combined into an overall assessment of its goodness (Smith, 2003).
There are a few ways to describe my decision-making style: subjective, all-encompassing, critical (thinking) and "pro" focused. As a decision maker, I prefer to form an opinion and a subsequent decision based on my own assessment of the decision to be made. Not all decisions should be made based on facts that are possibly false or misleading. For example, if a salesman says that the sales price of the car that he is selling you is a good one, should you trust him? After all, he is the salesman and the car expert.
I say "all-encompassing" because there are many decisions that involve so much more than just one aspect involving a particular decision. The way that your decision may impact others is something that we must definitely consider. For example, when a child goes out and vandalizes a small business, they make the decision based on how much fun they think they are going to have yet do not think about how the decision to do this will affect the small business owner or their own future.
I say critical thinking because it allows me to constantly evaluate and then re-evaluate my decision-making processes. Without improving as human beings in all aspects (particularly decision-making) we are doomed to make poor decisions over and over again. For example, when any one of us makes a poor decision, we learn from it and strive to make a better one next time. We all make poor choices at one time or another, but we must evaluate our decision-making processes and learn to get better at decision-making through critical thinking techniques.
Lastly, I have a "pro" focused approach to decision making. I try to see the good in all decisions that I make and try to leave emotions out of it. For example, I may want to spend money that I earn each month on something that makes me happy in that specific moment. This may be a small "pro" in the moment, but ultimately a "con" in terms of my long-term goals to take care of my family and retirement as a whole. I look at the best possible "pro" that will ultimately serve a higher purpose in the end.
2) What are the opposites of the words you chose?
Objective, singularly focused, non-critical thinking, and con. These terms are all self-explanatory in reference to the aforementioned terms.
3) Could you see any benefits to making decision using an approach that is based on either the opposites or somewhere in-between and what outcomes would you expect to see?
There are benefits to employing the opposite approach to the ones that I have chosen to best describe my decision-making style. Ultimately, it is realizing that the decision-making styles that are opposite of the ones that I have chosen must be employed in the correct situation. There may be times that decision-making needs to be objective. Facts can be very helpful in making decisions, but they have to be vetted first. This is where balance is met in weighing both subjective and objective thinking.
I have seen the balancing all of these decision-making processes firsthand as I have had ample time as an adult and military professional to use them. I have made many decisions over the course of 31 years and think that the first three decision-making styles have served me well. In retrospect, this blog has helped me realize how much the opposite styles that I mentioned in the second question help me to form more balanced and thorough decisions as a whole. I believe this self-reflection to be an opportunity for improvement and expect my decision-making abilities to grow even more.
References
Smith, G. F. (2003). Beyond critical thinking and decision making: Teaching business students how
to think. Journal of Management Education, February - 2003, 42. doi:
10.1177/1052562902239247
Comments
Post a Comment